What are you making your loved ones for Christmas or Hannakkah this year?

I don't know about you but because of the recession, I've felt a pinch this year. It's even more noticeable that Christmas is in 23 days and I don't have even half of our family's presents yet. Many times I'll make something for the girls but this year I'm having to make almost every one's. I wasn't looking forward to it because of the extra time and effort...it's just so much easier going to the store and picking a gift out...but when you do spend the extra time and effort, not only will you be proud of yourself and your handy work but your loved ones will appreciate and love the gift that much more; well, I hope they will.

A precious preteen girl will be spending the holidays with us this year. We want her to feel apart of the family so our family is giving her just as many presents as anyone else. I had already gotten her a purse that my friend Diana ( www.JolieFemme.etsy.com ) had made that I bought at the HipStitch craft show in Albuquerque. I'd like to give her several presents so I decided to make her an apron. She loves pink so I raided my fabric stash and came up with this:

Not bad for not using a pattern!

I put it on a really neat iron hanger that I bought for 50 cents at Hobby Lobby's after Christmas clearance last year. I bought 10 of them so I'm excited to use some of them now!

Instead of the traditional wrapping paper, find ways to wrap things nicely in a way that you wouldn't usually for a little extra pizazz and little to no extra money. Newspaper, comics, jute, hemp, foil, vintage magazine pages, fabric, stamp or paint butcher paper, a pillowcase, maps, leather strips, the tape from old cassette tapes, colored rubber bands, cut an old sweater (yes, it sounds crazy but it's very cool!), yarn, sewing pattern, a cereal box for books or other media, etc. Use whatever you have around the house or spend very little at a cheap thrift store.

Here I used another apron's own tie to wrap it up & put it on one of those really neat iron hangers as well.

These are just two things I've made so far.

What are you making for your loved ones this Christmas?